contributions

A snack, a bite… any excuse is valid for a quick break and a chance to satisfy your stomach, with your friends or family. This is also called an appetiser; it’s the time in the day when many Europeans have a well-deserved respite. Plus a patatas bravas recipe

The day that I turned 25, I decided to just leave everything - work, my family, the flat I rented with some friends. I bought a round the world ticket and embarked on a year-long journey. Summary of a blog recognised by as 'the best non-English language blog' at the 'Lonely Planet travel bloggers’ awards

In the communist era in central and eastern Europe people typically lit small bonfires as they didn’t have access to ‘specialist BBQ equipment’. Now the fashion is to use a 'BBQ' instead of sticking a sausage on a stick and holding it over the fire

After abandoning the ranks of the European popular party, the British conservatives threw themselves into a hunt for new allies who share their growing euroscepticism and rejection of the Lisbon treaty. In Spain, they support a minority party of catholics and ultra nationalists called the 'Alternativa Española', compiling a neat lonely list of ‘friends' in the whole of Europe.

For two days at the end of April 2009, the Polish capital becomes the 'centre of Europe' as the EU's largest centre-right party descend on the city. Quality time spent between British, Spanish and Polish colleagues raises an understanding of what the last twenty years mean, and the gap between east and west. Opinion

The stories of lovers from times of war are the subject of countless numbers of books and films. Why are love and war so fascinating and why are they always shown together? Tour of Europe's expressions